Bull Thistle. Cirsium vulgare, Sunflower Family ( Compositae ), Bull Thistle. Also called: Spear Thistle, Fuller�s Thistle and Lance - Leafed Thistle. We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Bull thistle is an annual or biennial, herbaceous plant that invades disturbed areas throughout the United States. Quick Notes: Height: Up To About 2 - 5 Feet Tall. Flowers: The purplish flower heads are 1.5 - 3 inches in diameter and 1 - 3 inches long with narrow, spine-tipped bracts. Fruit: Seeds are light-colored with dark brown to black longitudinal stripes. Seeds are generally 1/16 inch long, oblong, somewhat flattened or curved, with a long, white, hairy plume. Flowering Time: June to September. Leaves: 3 - 12 inches long, Alternate, pinnately lobed to pinnatifid, sessile or with winged petioles, glabrous to scabrous above, with spines from veins, pubescent below . Leaf margins are double dentate. Leaf bases decurrent on stem. Leaf lobes ending in strong spine. Found: Native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa.. Found Throughout USA. Including Arizona. Hardiness: USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 �C (-40 �F) USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 �C (-35 �F) USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 �C (-30 �F) USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 �C (-25 �F) USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 �C (-20 �F) USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 �C (-15 �F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 �C (-10 �F) USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 �C (-5 �F) USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 �C (0 �F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 �C (5 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: 5,000 - 7,000 Feet. Habitat: Commonly found in pastures, prairies, disturbed sites, waste ground, roadsides, railroads. Normally in pinion pine, chaparral, or shrub oak forests. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken August 27, 2008. Black Canyon Lake, Arizona located at 7,067 feet, in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest between the towns of Payson and Heber-Overgaard.

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